Well, Slater was a One Man Line a decade before that. Seven Blocks of Granite? He was the Rock of Gibraltar.” In 1927 and 1929, Duke Slater was the only black player in the NFL, yet he was an all-pro selection both seasons. He was named all-pro for the seventh and final time in 1930, becoming the first NFL lineman to make all-pro teams in seven seasons. Slater retired after the 1931 season, and his ten NFL seasons ranked third in league history at the time of his retirement. Duke Slater played more seasons (10), played in more games (99), started more games (96), and had more all-pro selections (seven) than any other African-American player in the NFL from 1920-1945. Second in all of those categories was Fritz Pollard, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. Coaching career Two years after Duke Slater retired, the NFL enacted an unofficial color ban; no African-Americans appeared in the NFL from 1934-1945. Slater helped give black football players a place to play by assembling and coaching several all-star teams of African-American players. Slater served as head coach of the Chicago Negro All-Stars (1933), the Chicago Brown Bombers (1937), the Chicago Comets (1939), and the Chicago Panthers (1940). Slater also served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Negro All-Stars in a 1938 exhibition against the Chicago Bears. Law career and years after football While playing in the NFL, Duke Slater returned to Iowa in the off-seasons to attend law school. Slater earned his law degree from the University of Iowa’s College of Law in 1928. He then practiced law in Chicago while playing for the Cardinals. After one year as a high school coach and athletic director in Oklahoma City, Slater returned to Chicago in 1933 as an attorney. In 1948, he was elected to the Cook County Municipal Court after receiving nearly one million votes. Duke Slater was the second African-American judge in Chicago history, following Wendell E. Green, who was elected in 1942. Slater served two six-year terms on the Municipal Court. In 1960, he was the first African-American elevated to the Cook County Superior Court, the highest court in Chicago at the time. Four years later, Slater moved to the Circuit Court of Cook County following that institution's formation. Duke Slater was an active booster and recruiter for the University of Iowa throughout his life.